New Delhi [India], July 10 (ANI): In a significant step towards further strengthening India's cyber defence capabilities and building a skilled cybersecurity workforce CERT-In and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch Professional Development Programs in Cybersecurity for professionals across Government, Public Sector and Industry.

In an era of escalating cyber threats worldwide, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), plays a pivotal role in safeguarding India's digital infrastructure.

Designated as the national agency for cyber incident response under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000, from incident prevention and real-time threat mitigation to enhancing cyber resilience through Security Quality Management Services, CERT-In is at the core of India's cyber defence strategy.

Under the MoU, an eight-week Professional Development Program in Cybersecurity, designed for working professionals from Government, PSUs, and Industry is launched by BITS-Pilani.

The programme will be delivered by BITS Pilani through its Centre for Research Excellence in National Security (CRENS) at the Hyderabad Campus, along with its technology partner Rapifuzz, under the guidance and mentorship of CERT-In.

The collaboration aims to address the growing demand for structured, high-impact capacity building in cybersecurity, an area of increasing importance amid evolving digital threats and cybersecurity challenges.

The programme begins on July 19, 2025, and is open to professionals across domains, including those without prior coding experience.

Upon successful completion, participants will receive a Professional Development Certificate in Cybersecurity, co-branded by CERT-In and BITS Pilani, underscoring both academic rigour and national institutional recognition.

CERT-In, India's national agency for cyber incident response, is guiding and mentoring the program's structure in alignment with the latest cybersecurity challenges, and is also contributing with its domain expertise. This marks a first-of-its-kind formal engagement where CERT-In has partnered with a premier academic institution through a MoU to directly support cybersecurity workforce development at scale.

Sanjay Bahl, Director General, CERT-In said 'India's cyber resilience finds its true strength not only in using and developing indigenous cutting-edge technology, but also in developing a vibrant, highly skilled talent pool poised to meet the evolving challenges of the digital and quantum era. CERT-In's contributions to incident response and cyber resilience extends beyond technology to encompass the nurturing of skilled human capital through a spectrum of impactful initiatives. CERT-In's collaboration with BITS-Pilani marks yet another pivotal stride in this journey an endeavour designed to equip professionals with cutting-edge cybersecurity expertise, while fostering a dynamic synergy between evolving industry demands with academic excellence.'

V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani said, 'At BITS Pilani, we view cybersecurity not only as a technological challenge, but as a national priority. This programme reflects the strength of our academia-industry-government triad, and we are proud to offer it under CERT-In's guidance.'

Participants will gain expertise in key topics such as Cyber Threats and Vulnerabilities; Network Security (Firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs); Secure Communication and Cryptography; Cybersecurity Policies, Legal Frameworks, and Incident Management; and Advanced Topics including Cloud, Mobile, and Advanced Persistent Threats. (ANI)